Cosmogenic radionuclides and mineralogical properties of the Chelyabinsk (LL5) meteorite: What do we learn about the meteoroid?

On February 15, 2013, after the observation of a brilliant fireball and a spectacular airburst over the southern Ural region (Russia), thousands of stones fell and were rapidly recovered, bringing some extremely fresh material for scientific investigations. We undertook a multidisciplinary study of a dozen stones of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, including petrographic and microprobe investigations to unravel intrinsic characteristics of this meteorite. We also study the short and long‐lived cosmogenic radionuclides to characterize the initial meteoroid size and exposure age. Petrographic observations, as well as the mineral compositions obtained by electron microprobe analyses, allow us to confirm the classification of the Chelyabinsk meteorite as an LL5 chondrite. The fragments studied, a few of which are impact melt rocks, contain abundant shock melt veins and melt pockets. It is likely that the catastrophic explosion and fragmentation of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid into thousands of stones was in part determined by the initial state of the meteoroid. The radionuclide results obtained show a wide range of concentrations of ¹⁴C, ²²Na, ²⁶Al, ⁵⁴Mn, ⁵⁷Co, ⁵⁸Co, and ⁶⁰Co, which indicate that the pre‐atmospheric object had a radius >5 m, consistent with other size estimates based on the magnitude of the airburst caused by the atmospheric entry and breakup of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid. Considering the observed ²⁶Al activities of the investigated samples, Monte Carlo simulations, and taking into account the ²⁶Al half‐life (0.717 Myr), the cosmic‐ray exposure age of the Chelyabinsk meteorite is estimated to be 1.2 ± 0.2 Myr. In contrast to the other radionuclides, ¹⁴C showed a very large range only consistent with most samples having been exposed to anthropogenic sources of ¹⁴C, which we associate with radioactive contamination of the Chelyabinsk region by past nuclear accidents and waste disposal, which has also been confirmed by elevated levels of anthropogenic ¹³⁷Cs and primordial ⁴⁰K in some of the Chelyabinsk fragments.     

Stark Broadening Parameters for Neutral Oxygen Spectral Lines

Stark broadening parameters for nine neutral oxygen (O I) lines have been determined within the impact approximation and the semiclassical perturbation method. The atomic data have been taken from the TOPbase and NIST atomic databases. The electron and proton Stark widths and shifts and ion broadening parameter values for these O I lines have been calculated for electron density of 10 ¹⁶ cm ^?3 and for 4 different electron temperatures in the range of 5000 K to 40000 K. These Stark broadening parameters are compared with our previous results (Ben Nessib, N. et al. 1996, Physica Scripta, 54, 603–613), where we calculated Stark broadening parameters for only four O I spectral lines and where Stark widths and shifts were compared with experimental and theoretical data available in the literature. In the present paper, we have also compared our results with the Griem’s book (Griem, H. R. 1974, Spectral line broadening by plasmas) and VALD (Ryabchikova, T. et al. 2015, Physica Scripta, 90, 054005) values.     

The model of a flat (Euclidean) expansive homogeneous and isotropic relativistic Universe in the light of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) observations

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) confirmed the model of a flat (Euclidean) expansive homogeneous and isotropic relativistic universe with the total zero mass (energy), which describes the properties of our observed expansive homogeneous and isotropic relativistic Universe in the first (linear, Newtonian or classical-mechanical) approximation.     

К определению положения искусственного спутника земли в геодезической системе координат

Summary The present theory of the determination of the position of an Earth satellite from simultaneous measurements of the topocentric coordinates at 2 or more geodetic satellite points is not exact. The inaccuracy is caused by the fact that the measured topocentric coordinates of the satellite are defined in a system in which the directions of the axes are not exactly parallel to the directions of the corresponding axes of the geodetic system in which the coordinates of the satellite points are given; this difference in direction is not respected in the solution. The paper gives an exact solution of the problem. The concepts (4) of geodetic topocentric declination and geodetic hour angle of the satellite, i.e. the declination and hour angle in the geodetic reference system, are introduced. With these quantities the problem of determining the position of the satellite is then solved exactly. There always exist superabundant observations so that the method of least squares can be used. The procedure is outlined for the case of conditioned observations (suitable for 2 satellite geodetic points) and for the case of intermediate observations (suitable for >2 satellite geodetic points).      

Meridian-scanning photometer, coherent HF radar, and magnetometer observations of the cusp: a case study

The dynamics of the cusp region and post-noon sector for an interval of predominantly IMF B_y, B_z < 0 nT are studied with the CUTLASS Finland coherent HF radar, a meridian-scanning photometer located at Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, and a meridional network of magnetometers. The scanning mode of the radar is such that one beam is sampled every 14 s, and a 30° azimuthal sweep is completed every 2 minutes, all at 15 km range resolution. Both the radar backscatter and red line (630 nm) optical observations are closely co-located, especially at their equatorward boundary. The optical and radar aurora reveal three different behaviours which can interchange on the scale of minutes, and which are believed to be related to the dynamic nature of energy and momentum transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere through transient dayside reconnection. Two interpretations of the observations are presented, based upon the assumed location of the open/closed field line boundary (OCFLB). In the first, the OCFLB is co-located with equatorward boundary of the optical and radar aurora, placing most of the observations on open field lines. In the second, the observed aurora are interpreted as the ionospheric footprint of the region 1 current system, and the OCFLB is placed near the poleward edge of the radar backscatter and visible aurora; in this interpretation, most of the observations are placed on closed field lines, though transient brightenings of the optical aurora occur on open field lines. The observations reveal several transient features, including poleward and equatorward steps in the observed boundaries, braiding of the backscatter power, and 2 minute quasi-periodic enhancements of the plasma drift and optical intensity, predominantly on closed field lines.     

Long-Term Stability Of Geoidal Geopotential FromTopex/Poseidon Satellite Altimetry 1993–1999

The TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite altimeter data from January 1, 1993to October 24, 1999 (cycles 11–261) was used for investigating thelong-term variations in the geoidal geopotential W₀ and/orin the geopotential scale factor R₀ = GM/W₀ (GM is theadopted geocentric gravitational constant). The mean valuesdetermined for the whole period covered are: W₀ =(62 636 856.161 ± 0.002) m² s^-2, R₀ =(6 363 672.5448 ± 0.0002) m. The actual accuracy is limited bythe altimeter calibration error (2–3 cm) and it isestimated to be about ± 0.5 m² s^-2 (± 5 cm).The yearly variations of the above mean values are at the formalerror level. No long-term trend in W₀, representing the oceanvolume change, was found for the seven years period 1993–9 on thebasis of T/P altimeter (AVISO) data. No sea surface topography modelwas used in the solution. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The computation of the elastic constants of an anisotropic medium from the velocities of body waves

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Dedicated to 90th Birthday of Professor Frantiek Fiala     

Colour schlieren representation of compressional-stress fields with respect to focal zone study

Summary A method of colour schlieren recording of the compressional-stress field gradients, suitable for focal zone study on models, is suggested. The study presents colour schlieren records of the compressional-stress fields in loaded square plates, containing inhomogeneities which give instant quantitative information on these fields. If the inhomogeneity is shaped like Griffith's diagonal slit, good agreement is demonstrated between the experiment and the theoretical calculation of the compressional-stress field in a model.     

Geoidal curvature radii from satellite data for different degrees of smoothing

Summary Radii of curvature and their anomalies of a smoothed geoidal surface are computed using Stokes's constants J _n ^(k) , S _n ^(k) of the Earth's body, obtained from satellite orbit dynamics[2]. Different degrees n of smoothing are used (n = 8, 12, 21). The notations are the same as in[4, 5].